Soul of the Starkiller
by Tesekian
Summary: AU. If there had been another ship in the asteroid belt with the Black Star, the Earth-Minbari war might have followed a very different course. Chapter 10: The failed escape attempt yields unexpected results
1. Default Chapter

He was in charge of the Lexington. The thought was still sinking into his mind. A few weeks ago he probably would have been honoured by the thought of a command of his own. Now he wished it could be anyone else's. He didn't want to be the one responsible for making the wrong decision. He could be costing his crew their lives.   
  
His crew. He didn't even realise he'd thought it until afterwards. But they were his crew now, and they depended on him. If they didn't do something soon one of those asteroids would hit a little too hard and they'd be dead anyway.   
  
"I'm authorising the use of tactical nukes," he said, "firing control, remove the warheads and get them down to launching bay nine ASAP. Communications, stand by to broadcast the distress call, but not until I give the order."   
  
"Aye, sir," Lieutenant Richards said. John prayed he was right. If he wasn't that Minbari war cruiser would blow them all to hell and Earth couldn't afford any more losses. He tried to convince himself that was the real reason he was risking this, but the truth was he was terrified. He wasn't ready to die.   
  
"I'd be less than honest if I said I was certain this was going to work," he said, "It might, it might not. We could well blow up right alongside the enemy. But at least we'll have a fighting chance of taking them out with us. Unless anyone has a better idea," he added hopefully. He didn't want to be the one making the decision that could get them all killed. Unfortunately, his comment was met by shaken heads and silence.   
  
"Nuts," he muttered, "Then we'll stick with my plan. Hell, I didn't want to live forever anyway." He gave the order for the nukes to be attached to nearby asteroids, close by but distant enough that the Lexington shouldn't be caught in the blast. Shouldn't.   
  
It felt awkward to be sitting waiting, so he switched on internal comm. to transmit through the entire ship. He tried to think of the right words to say, but how could he tell people that he might well have signed their death warrants? Thankfully he'd inherited a gift for thinking up speeches on the spot from his father. If he got out of this with his life, he'd remember to thank the old diplomat.   
  
"We have a plan that should destroy the Minbari cruiser," he said, "but I can't promise that we will survive this. But that was the choice we made when we joined Earth Force. I want to thank you all for being the finest crew I could serve with. I know that Captain Sterns was proud of all of you, and I am too. Whether we live or die, we'll be serving Earth, protecting our families and defending our people." He closed off the channel, his thoughts on Anna. He wanted to see her again, to tell her that he loved her. He must have told her that a thousand times already, but he wanted to say it one last time.   
  
The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional blast as an asteroid hit the side of the ship. The bridge shook each time that happened, throwing John around in his restraint harness.   
  
Something damp hit his head, and he knew without checking it was Sterns' blood. John held back the tears. This was not the time to breaking down. His crew needed him to stay strong, besides in a few minutes they might be the ones needing tears.   
  
In the hollow silence of the bridge, John thought of all he had been through with Sterns. His loyalty to his captain had been paid off like this, by him being alive when they needed their captain's experience and tactical skill best. Why couldn't it have been him instead?   
  
"Nukes are in position, commander," came the report on the comm. system, "heading back to the barn."  
  
"Roger that." Another asteroid hit the ship and the lurch pressed him painfully into the harness holding him to his seat. "Alright send the distress signal. Let's hope they don't take too long, I don't know how much more of this we can take."   
  
"Commander, I think your wish may be coming true," Richards said, "We've got an echo on vector approach. It might be them. Coming into range now." Sure enough the Minbari ship appear on his screen, or as much of a sign of them ever showed up given their damn stealth technology.   
  
"Bridge to navigation," John said, "the enemy has a clear shot. Fire docking thrusters, get us behind one of those asteroids. Let them think we're trying to evade. If they want to finish the job let them come to us." He felt the movement as the thrusters fired. This was it.   
  
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his picture of Anna. He couldn't tell her he loved her, but at least he could see her face one more time before the end. 'This is for you, Anna,' he thought, 'Goodbye.'  
  
"Here we go."   
  
"She's locking on."   
  
"Just a little more," John said. If they were risking their lives on his plan they needed that ship as close to the nukes as possible.   
  
"Confirm weapon's lock. Energy spike, she's ready to fire."   
  
"Now!" The blast from the nuke shook the Lexington, but John knew that they would survive it less than a second later. Unfortunately, his screen told him the Minbari cruiser had survived as well.   
  
"They're just in range of nuke two," Richards said, "but their moving away from it."   
  
"Now!" John ordered, but it was too late.   
  
"Minimal damage from nuke two," came the report. John closed his eyes. Best of three?   
  
"Just one left," he muttered, he waited a few moments, "Now!" he ordered. He stared at Anna's picture as he felt the blast shake the ship. For a few desperate seconds he thought it would tear the Lexington to pieces, but as the moments passed it became clear he was still alive. Either that or hell looked a lot like real life.   
  
"Minbari cruiser destroyed." There was cheering around the bridge. They'd done it. John found himself grinning. Everyone back home had said it was impossible to destroy a Minbari ship, but they'd done it.   
  
"Oh hell," John turned to look at Richards, staring at his screen, "another Minbari cruiser is coming at us." No nukes left. John felt disappointed that no one back home would see what they'd done. All the admirals and pen pushers had said they needed a victory. Now they had one, but no one would know about it because the Lexington would be destroyed.   
  
"They're scanning us," Richards said, "it's messing up our systems. Distress signal failing." John was surprised they were scanning rather than shooting, but they were probably even more surprised that they'd managed to destroy one of their ships. His screen told him that the Minbari ship was getting closer. They were in perfect firing range, but they hadn't fired a shot.   
  
"They're launching a shuttle, commander."   
  
"What?"   
  
"It's probably a boarding party."   
  
"Why? The Minbari don't take prisoners." And Earth ships didn't destroy Minbari ships. John tucked Anna's picture back into his breast pocket. She'd be by his heart at the end.   
  
In only a few minutes the Minbari shuttle was clamped onto the hull, burning its way through. There weren't enough of his crew able to get there. Most were injured, and it was always difficult fighting in zero gravity.   
  
John was grateful for the supply of PPG's kept on the bridge and made sure each of the surviving officers had one. He turned as much as his harness would let him towards the door, but it wasn't a good position to shoot from. He half considered taking off his harness, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to fight and have to cling on to the seat at the same time.   
  
They didn't have long to wait before the sounds beyond the door told him that the Minbari were on the other side. The instant the door opened he began firing. Unfortunately, so did the Minbari. He only got a couple of shots off before he felt pain searing through his body.   
  
Then nothing.   
  
***  
  
Author's note: This is my first Babylon 5 fic, so I hope you'll forgive any errors. Reviews would be more than welcome, as is constructive criticism. Feel free to tell me what sucks, feel even freer to tell me what you like. 


	2. No Body

Author's note: Thanks to CW for the review. I know there's a problem with formatting, but I'm not entirely sure how to put it right since it's always worked fine before now. Help would be welcome.   
  
***  
  
John slowly became aware of pain. It was concentrated in his chest and head, but was spread through the rest of his body as well. He lifted his hand to his head to feel for injuries, at least that was the plan. He opened his eyes quickly when he realised he couldn't move, but the light stabbed into his forehead, increasing the pain there.   
  
He blinked until the pain dimmed slightly, then looked round. He was lying on some sort of platform, but it was tilted at a forty-five degree angle. Several straps held him in place, but the straps themselves seemed to be moulded to his body so he couldn't move even a millimetre, except for his head.   
  
He turned his head to take in the rest of the room. It was small, very small, and almost bare. A table and chair were the only furniture in the room except for the platform he was lying on.   
  
A door slid aside and someone came in. This was John's first sight of a Minbari face to face. He looked surprisingly similar to a human. The large bone over the back of his head and his baldness marked him as alien though.   
  
"Your name, human?" the Minbari asked in halting English. John wondered how they knew their language, but decided it didn't matter.   
  
"Tell me yours," John countered. The Minbari's only replied was a fist in John's stomach. His instincts tried to make him double over, but the restraints prevented it, so pain filled his awareness for a few minutes and he gasped for air.   
  
"You name," the Minbari repeated.   
  
"Snow White," muttered John. The Minbari seemed pleased with this answer, obviously thinking John was weak and would be easy to break. Clearly Minbari hadn't found out about fairy tales when they found out their language.   
  
"Who leads your ship?" the Minbari asked. So they wanted to know who'd destroyed their cruiser. John decided it was probably safer not to answer that question, since he doubted they'd be giving him a medal for it.   
  
Silence earned him another punch in the stomach. The Minbari repeated his question several times, his punches growing fiercer when John continued to respond with silence.   
  
"Tell me who leads your ship!"   
  
"Go to hell!" The Minbari probably didn't understand what hell was, but he certainly understood what John was trying to say. As the following blows struck him, John found the pain growing too much. It surged through his body with every beat of his heart until his body gave up trying to remain conscious.   
  
***  
  
Anna had woken up early as she had every day during the past few months. It was difficult to sleep well knowing that her husband was out there fighting for his life. She watched the news reports. The reporters were all trying to put a brave face on it, but they could only report failures and losses, more territory falling to the enemy, more ships destroyed.   
  
She watched every report, fearing that it would be the one bringing her news of John. When it was over, she would relax and allow herself to breathe easily. Until the next report.   
  
She climbed out of bed and went to the kitchen to pour herself a drink of water. She'd decided to stay with John's family during the war. As a scientist she was usually too busy travelling to have a real home of her own, and John was usually on patrol somewhere out there. She'd welcomed the invitation to stay with people who knew what she was going through, who understood how she felt.   
  
As she drank slowly, she became aware of a persistent and annoying beep. Someone was calling.   
  
"On," she said, and the screen filled with an image of a man in Earth Force uniform.   
  
"Anna Sheridon?" he asked.   
  
"Yes."   
  
"I've some bad news."   
  
"John," she whispered, already knowing what the man would say.   
  
"We found the remains of the Lexington last night. It looks as though the ship was boarded by the Minbari. Many of the crew were killed by gun shots inside the ship. But the bodies of the bridge crew are missing."   
  
"Missing? You mean John might be alive?"   
  
"The Minbari don't take prisoners," the man said, "it's almost certain your husband is dead." Almost certain. Almost. Anna clung onto that one little word like a life-line. Almost. Almost wasn't definite. If John's body wasn't on the Lexington then there was a chance he was still alive. She wouldn't give up on him.   
  
Anna's mind was so filled with thoughts and fears that it took her a few moments to realise the man was still speaking.   
  
". . . remains of a Minbari cruiser. It seems that the Lexington was able to destroy it before they were taken. Your husband's sacrifice won us the first victory of this war." As though that could cheer her up. If he was dead, he was dead no matter what. Who cared if he'd killed a few of them on the way out.   
  
"I'm sorry," the man said pointlessly, as though that could change anything. The screen went blank, but Anna continued to stare at it. Maybe it would come on, and he'd say he'd made a mistake. Maybe she open her eyes and she'd be upstairs and this had all been a dream. Maybe. . . maybe John was still alive somewhere, and would still come home.   
  
Maybe not.   
  
"Anna? What are you doing up?" Anna turned to see Lizzie standing in the doorway. Lizzie stopped short when she saw Anna's expression. The tears formed behind Lizzie's eyes, and she knew before she asked.   
  
"It's John, isn't it?" Anna nodded, and realised her own cheeks were wet.   
  
"They didn't find his body," she said in a chocked voice, "They don't know for sure he's dead." She wouldn't give up on him. She couldn't. She couldn't face a life without him in it. She wouldn't believe he was gone until she saw his body with her own eyes.   
  
"Oh, Anna," Lizzie said, as the tears flowed freely. Anna flung her arms round her and clung to her. She buried her head on Lizzie's shoulder and cried, feeling her own shoulder grow wet as Lizzie wept on her. 


	3. Interogation

Author's note: I think I've sorted the formatting problem out now.   
  
***  
  
John came to with a jerk as he was yanked from the sleeping platform. His head exploded with pain and nausea churned in his stomach. Hands roughly propelled him forwards as his fogged mind tried to come to terms with what was happening. They'd got him out the door before he remembered he was a prisoner of the Minbari and began to fight against them, but they held him with surprising strength.   
  
He kept up his struggles, though their grips were like iron. As well as the two holding him, there were others nearby as guards. At last his attempts earned him a punch in the stomach, and it was more than his body could take. He bent over despite their hold and emptied his stomach onto the floor, the foul taste filling his mouth.   
  
He noted with some small pleasure that a couple of the Minbari withdrew slightly, looking at his vomit with suspicion and worry. At last it became apparent that this was nothing but a consequence of what they had done to him, and they hauled him to a door. This slid open at a touch and revealed a large room, empty but for strange triangles of metal hanging from the ceiling in a circle. There were eight of them in all.   
  
John found out their purpose as he was taken to one, his hands fixed to the lower side of the triangle. One of the Minbari remained in the room, but the others left. They, or others, entered minutes later hauling Richards in with them. There were bruises on his face, but otherwise he seemed unhurt. They left again.   
  
John thought it was the same lot who came back and then left again six more times, each time hauling one of the bridge crew, but they all looked the same: bald with a bone in the head.   
  
John surveyed his people. They were all standing, rather than relying on the support of the triangle things. That meant no broken legs, which would make escape easier, and escape was after all the first priority of a prisoner. Visible bruising suggested they'd all been through the same thing he had.   
  
A Minbari stood in the centre of the room. He went first to Lieutenant Baker, a young woman who'd only recently signed on with the Lexington.   
  
"Which of you is leader of your ship?" the Minbari asked. Baker said nothing, and the Minbari pressed a black rod into her chest. John didn't know what that thing did, but she let out a scream and an expression of intense pain filled her features.   
  
"Which of you destroyed Dral Afi?" Again Baker said nothing, and the Minbari shoved that thing into her chest once more. John guessed Dral Afi was their ship, and considered yelling out that it was him. Baker had done nothing to deserve torture.   
  
"Which of you is leader?" As Baker screamed for the third time, John opened his mouth to tell them, but he caught sight of the expression on Richards' face. His comm. officer was trying to say without words that he shouldn't say anything. They couldn't give the Minbari what they wanted.   
  
The Minbari left Baker and went to the person next to her: Richards. John hoped the Minbari couldn't read human expressions since to him the look on Richards' face couldn't be clearer if it had been illuminated in lights: don't say a thing.   
  
"Which of you is leader?" Richards said nothing, but his gaze was fixed on John's face. If he didn't look away soon the Minbari were bound to notice something and he didn't fancy his chances once they found out he was the one who'd destroyed their ship.   
  
Richards' scream cut right into John. He known the man for three years, since he'd joined the crew of the Lexington, he couldn't let him be tortured like this. He owed it to their friendship.   
  
"Stop!" he yelled and the Minbari turned towards him, leaving Richards gasping from the pain, and shaking his head at John.   
  
"You won't find our captain among us," John said, "he's dead. You killed him!" John didn't realise how angry he was until those words burst from him. He was so furious at these creatures for killing someone he cared for as a friend and mentor. Sterns was planning on retiring before these fiends had attacked the Prometheus and started this war. They were responsible for destroying an old man's hopes of peace and quiet.   
  
"Many of our people died on the Dral Afi. Many of our best warriors. Which one of you gave the order that destroyed our ship?"   
  
"I told you, our captain is dead!" It was true enough, but evidently didn't please the Minbari. As the rod met John's chest, he became aware of nothing but the pain. It surged along every nerve in his body, burning and freezing simultaneously. It felt as though his body was being torn apart from the inside. The pain. 'Let it stop,' he begged silently to whatever deity happened to be watching him, 'Let it stop.'   
  
The pain touched the very core of his being until it seemed it would go on forever. The searing agony was a part of him that would never leave. As it continued, taking control of every limb and muscle, it seemed the pain had always been. For an eternity it burned and froze. For an eternity it ate away at him.   
  
Then it stopped.   
  
John hung there from the triangle of metal. His whole body was shaking from the shock. He tried to stand, to support himself, but his legs wouldn't take it. They gave way beneath him and his weight strained at his shoulders.   
  
He was vaguely aware of someone saying his name. "John? John?" He raised his head, dots swimming alarmingly in front of his vision, and looked blearily at Richards, concern filling his face. He tried to smile, to reassure him, but found he didn't have the strength.   
  
"Who gave the order?" John couldn't have answered even if he'd wanted to. The dots were growing more numerous and more vigorous in their movements. Soon his entire vision was obscured by the haze and the sounds of the room began to grow further away.   
  
He knew he was loosing consciousness and he rejoiced at that blessed oblivion.   
  
***  
  
Lenonn sat beside Elcann as they watched a holographic image of the interrogation room. Lenonn was surprised Elcann allowed him here, since his opinion of the Alashak was well known. He considered them fools trying to impersonate the 'superior' warrior cast.   
  
"The human has no honour," Elcann said, "He lies without thought. He says the one who gave the order is dead, but it cannot be so." Lenonn remained silent. He had noticed what Elcann had not, that the human had never stated their captain had given the order, merely that he was their leader and had been killed. There had been a dead body on the bridge of the humans' ship. It seemed to Lenonn that the human was doing all he could not to give an outright lie, but still to protect the others.   
  
Lenonn also noticed the way the others kept looking towards him whenever Canor asked who gave the order. He must be the leader. Why else would he strive to protect the others in such a way?   
  
"Those animals," Elcann said in an angry tone, "they lure the Black Star into a trap and now seek to lie to us. They killed so many fine warriors."   
  
"I would have thought," Lenonn said calmly, "that a warrior such as yourself would realise death is common in war. We have killed more of their warriors then they have killed ours."   
  
"I expected you to be pleased at that. Dukhat was of your cast after all."   
  
"We have taken our revenge a hundred fold. Yet it is not enough for you. Why?"   
  
"Dukhat was the greatest of us," Elcann said, surprising Lenonn. Dukhat was held in respect by all casts, but Lenonn hadn't known that a member of the warrior cast would think him better than any of their own. "Our revenge will only be complete with the destruction of their kind. Every one of us they kill will only make our conquest more just."   
  
"Is it justice to destroy an entire species?"   
  
"They have no honour, that one shows this," Elcann nodded towards the human who was even now loosing consciousness, "Surely there can be no dishonour in killing the dishonourable."   
  
"And no honour either." Lenonn looked at the hologram. He wasn't sure that the human was truly without honour. He would have to ask some questions of his own, away from Elcann and the warriors. The warrior cast thought of nothing but fighting, it needed one who concentrated more on wisdom to judge this matter.   
  
He would speak to Delenn about it. As one of the Grey Council she could grant permission for him to conduct his own interrogations. It was clear that force would not get the required answers fro these people. Intelligence would be needed if they were to learn the truth.   
  
***  
  
Author's note: I couldn't resist using John's description of the Minbari witness from 'There all the Honour Lies': 'bald with a bone in the head'. Please review and let me know what you think. 


	4. Surprises

Author's note: Thanks for the review, Deaf Scout. I assume by 'fix it' you mean the formatting. I'm working on it.   
  
***  
  
John ached all over. He woke up slowly, his brain seeming unwilling to connect with his body. Given the way his body was feeling, he didn't blame it. The first thing he became aware of, after noticing the aching pain, was the awkward angle his body was lying at.   
  
Thoughts and memories drifted slowly into his awareness. He was prisoner of the Minbari. He opened his eyes, and looked round. He was back in the small cell, lying on the angled bed, but this time he wasn't tied down.   
  
He half stood half slid off the bed, and found his legs shook beneath his weight, but they held. Everything seemed to be made of triangles, he realised, having the chance to see things clearly for the first time. The bed had a thin, triangular pillow, the three-legged chair had a triangular seat, and even the lights on the wall, near the ceiling were triangular.   
  
He sat down on the chair, not wanting to strain himself after what he'd been through. He wondered where his crew were. Had they all been tortured like he had? Or worse? He had no way of knowing how long he'd been unconscious, so anything could have happened in that time.   
  
He looked at the table, noticing something on it for the first time. It was pyramidal in shape and made of something that looked like glass or clear plastic. Inside was a colourless liquid, and a wick rose from it, out the peak of the pyramid. Next to it something black lay, with a button on one side.   
  
In child-like curiosity, he lifted it up and pressed the button. A small flame emerged from a nozzle at the top, so he lit the lamp. It might have been any decorative oil lamp on Earth for the way it burned, but why would it be in a cell? It seemed stupid, pointless.   
  
Having nowhere else to look, John watched the small flame flickering. He'd never really looked at a flame before. It was beautiful and deadly, but fragile. It would only take a wind and that flame would be gone. It was like life.   
  
How many flames had gone out already during this war? How many more would go out before its end? Enough to set his world alight.   
  
Tears filled his eyes as he thought of it. There was no way for them to defeat the Minbari. They'd destroyed one ship in the whole damn war, and how many human ships were gone? Besides, the trick he'd used probably wouldn't work again, even if he could tell anyone about it. The Minbari would learn from their mistake. It might take months, it might take years, but the Minbari would reach Earth and they would destroy it in the same merciless way that they always fought.   
  
The tears flowed freely now, water for the flames, as he pictured everyone back home he knew. Anna, Lizzie, Mum and Dad. All his friends and family. Everyone. They were dead, they just didn't know it yet. Their lives would be snuffed out as easily as the flame on the lamp.   
  
And he could do nothing about it.   
  
He didn't notice the door behind him had opened until a voice said, "I did not mean to disturb your meditations." John almost said, 'That's alright' out of habit, but caught himself in time. He turned to see a Minbari standing behind him. He was curious as to why it would matter to him that he'd been disturbed. Compared to the torture session that was inevitably coming, it was minor.   
  
The Minbari was probably male, but John couldn't be sure. He was dressed in black tunic and trousers, and over the top of this was a robe of a red-brown fabric. Attached to this robe was a badge set with a large green stone. The thing that caught John's eye most however was what he held in his hands: a bowl giving off a deliciously tempting scent.   
  
"I have food," the Minbari said. He put it down on the table in front of John. John looked at it suspiciously. He was hungry, hungrier than he could remember ever being before, but he didn't trust these. . . people not to poison him.   
  
"We checked your body," the Minbari went on, "it is safe." Obviously he didn't suspect John might believe they'd poison him on purpose. Maybe they hadn't even considered it. The bowl was filled with brown lumps, like a cross between rice and mashed potato, with a variety of other things mixed in.   
  
John decided to risk it, and lifted the fork he'd been given. He was about to plunge it into the bowl, when he saw the expression on the Minbari's face: something between shock and disgust.   
  
"What?" he asked.   
  
"Your other hand," the Minbari said. John looked at his hands. He had been about to eat using his left hand, which seemed perfectly normal to him being left-handed, but for some reason the Minbari thought it wrong. Some cultural taboo?   
  
Deciding it was better not to ask for any more trouble than he was already getting, he switched hands and began to eat. It was nice, surprisingly nice, especially these green lumps distributed quite frequently through the mixture, though he'd have preferred a little less salt on them.   
  
His meal eaten all too quickly, John addressed one of his other major needs. "Something to drink?" he asked.   
  
The Minbari called something over his shoulder that John didn't understand. In response, another Minbari entered holding a jug of what looked like water and a cup. He put them both down on the table and picked up the empty bowl.   
  
"Entilzah," he said to the first Minbari, with a bow of his head, before leaving.   
  
"Is that your name?" John asked, "Entilzah?"   
  
"My," the Minbari hesitated, perhaps searching for the word, "position," he settled with. So he was someone of high rank come to inspect the prisoners for himself.   
  
John gulped down one glass of water, then took a second glass more slowly. He was about half-way through when the Minbari spoke again.   
  
"You will need that later." John stopped. He realised he'd been stupid to assume the Minbari would keep delivering food like this. This might be all he'd get for a while. He put the cup down, and decided to ask about his final need.   
  
"I need to go to the bathroom," he said.   
  
The Minbari frowned, "Bathroom?"   
  
"I need to relieve myself."   
  
"Of what?" Surely the Minbari had this physical need. John tried to think of a way to say it since they probably wouldn't understand Earth slang.   
  
"Bodily waste," he settled on, and the Minbari seemed to understand.   
  
"Come," he said. John stood, glad to see that his legs had stopped shaking now. The meal had probably helped. He took the few steps necessary to cross the room and found each one made him feel stronger. It seemed no long term harm had been done by the torture session.   
  
Outside John was surprised to see that there were no guards waiting for him. The other Minbari had gone somewhere. Entilzah obviously noticed him looking round.   
  
"Do not try to run, human," he said, "I may look old but I can still fight." John looked at the Minbari. He wouldn't have guessed he was old, but he wasn't the best qualified to guess the age of an alien life-form.   
  
A couple of minutes later, John emerged from a Minbari bathroom feeling much better. This seemed to be his day for surprises, as he was led in the opposite direction to the way he had come. So he wasn't being taken back to his cell. Where then? Another torture session?   
  
A door opened into a reasonably large room. The floor was slightly padded and it was well lit. In the centre of the room two Minbari were fighting with what looked like metal rods. John noted that they each wore the same badge this Minbari wore.   
  
When they saw Entilzah, they stopped fighting, and bowed their heads respectfully. Together they said something in Minbari, followed by "Entilzah." John really wished he could understand their language. He wished it even more when Entilzah said something to the two Minbari.   
  
One of them hesitated a moment, then threw his weapon at John. John caught it on instinct, then looked down at the thing in his hands. It was indeed a metal rod, lightweight and smooth, but from the feel of it very strong.   
  
"I would see how you fight, human," Entilzah said. John was puzzled and curious, and more than a little worried. He couldn't image why his enemies would put a weapon in his hands and tell him to fight. Still, he wasn't going to argue with an instruction like that.   
  
The third Minbari still held his weapon, and as the other two backed away slightly he began to circle John cautiously. John held the rod horizontal, mimicking the stance of the Minbari opposite him, waiting, alert.   
  
Not alert enough it seemed, as a blow struck him on the side and another on his right leg. His leg fell beneath him, but he swung his weapon round and into the back of the Minbari's legs, causing him to fall.   
  
John stood, his own leg bruised and nothing worse, and waited for the Minbari to rise. He'd just got to his feet again, when John struck two blows to his right side. He tried to deliver a third to his left, but the Minbari blocked with one end of his rod and used the momentum to swing the other end into John's side. John stumbled, and wasn't prepared to block the blow that struck his head.   
  
Momentarily disorientated, John wasn't able to block the next few blows that struck him at various parts of the body. He finally managed to get a few more strikes of his own in, but the Minbari was doing better. He was trained to use this thing and each successful blow made it harder for John to fight back.   
  
The fight lasted several minutes, and John was soon breathing heavily and sweating. The Minbari didn't appear to be suffering as he was. Either he was used to it, or Minbari just didn't sweat like humans did.   
  
At last John stumbled and fell to the floor. He rolled over onto his back and lifted the rod to block a blow coming at his head. But the blow was pulled short as Entilzah called out something in Minbari. The Minbari fighting John stepped back and John pulled himself painfully to his feet.   
  
The Minbari who's weapon John had been using took it back. He looked at John was obvious distaste, but Entilzah was smiling.   
  
"You fight honourably, human," he said, "You could have struck your enemy when he was on the ground and won, but you waited."   
  
"Honour isn't always a good thing when fighting a race with none," John said angrily. The Minbari who's weapon he'd used yelled something in his own language and looked as though he meant to kill John, but Entilzah raised a hand to stop him.   
  
"Explain that," he ordered, anger gleaming in his eyes.   
  
"You fire on ships that can't defend themselves, that are no threat to you. You kill when it's not necessary. Even when our ships can't hurt yours you destroy them. Where's the honour in that?"   
  
One of the Minbari said something that was undoubtedly an insult. From the tone of his voice, John didn't want to know what it meant.   
  
"It was a fair question, Hatir," Entilzah said. John knew he was meant to understand, why else would he say it in English? "And one that Elcann would do well to answer," he continued.   
  
The Minbari, Hatir, said something else which Entilzah began to respond to. He was interrupted by an angry shout.   
  
"Lenonn!" A Minbari stormed into the room. Hatir bowed his head in respect, but John noted that the others didn't. "Lenonn!" the Minbari repeated, addressing Entilzah, then went on into a stream of angry Minbari. John could tell by the way he kept looking at him, that he was the subject of this tirade. Once the Minbari finished his angry stream, Entilzah replied calmly. This seemed only to anger the new Minbari more.  
  
  
  
Entilzah turned to John. "Come!" he ordered firmly. The new Minbari said something sharply, to which Entilzah retorted. He gripped John's arm firmly and pulled him towards the door. As they passed the new Minbari, he said something.   
  
In an instant, Entilzah drew something from beneath his robe. It extended into one of the rod weapons and struck the new Minbari in the chest. As he fell to the ground, Entilzah pressed the tip of the weapon against his throat and said something with a cold, hard anger that John was glad was not directed against him. He'd much rather face Entilzah's white hot rage any day.   
  
He glanced behind him to the other two Minbari. Hatir was twitching slightly, as though unsure whether to go to the newcomer's aid. It was clear he was angry, but the other Minbari, the one John had fought, was grinning like a kid being given a treat.   
  
Entilzah stepped back, and the rod retracted into something no longer than a fist. John was amazed, that was some great technology there. The interior of the weapon must be entirely hollow, and split into pieces that could slide inside each other, but when it was extended it was impossible to know that it could be done.   
  
Entilzah took hold of John's arm again and half-towed him out of the room. Outwardly he looked calm, but his fingers dug painfully into John's flesh. Whatever that Minbari had said, it had angered him.   
  
They reached John's cell quickly, and John was surprised when he came in with him, rather than just shoving him inside. The way things were going, he'd soon be surprised if nothing surprising happened. John picked up the half-finished cup of water on the table and drank it quickly, glad that Entilzah had made him keep some.   
  
"Who was that?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.   
  
"Elcann," Entilzah replied, "he is clan leader of the Fire Stars since you destroyed Dral Afi. His father died aboard that ship."   
  
"And a lot of people I care about have died because of your people. More would have died if we hadn't done what we did. Your Dral Afi was coming to kill every member of my crew. We just did it to you first."   
  
"Your crew?" John realised his mistake as soon as he said it. He'd as good as admitted he was the commanding officer of the Lexington. "You should guard your words more carefully, human. Elcann would gladly kill you in the most painful way he can think of if he should learn you are the leader, and your crew would be killed soon after."   
  
With that he left, and John could just stand there, more surprised by this than anything else that had happened that day. 


	5. Revellations

John managed to get a decent amount of sleep in the end. To do this though he'd had to alter his bed slightly. He found it could tilt up, and by wedging the chair under the lower end it formed an angle much closer to horizontal. He couldn't understand how anyone could sleep with their bed at the angle his had previously been.   
  
Entilzah returned the next day. John hadn't expected this, given the way yesterday's encounter had ended. Entilzah looked at John's bed with something that might have been amusement on his face.   
  
"You do not like the sleeping arrangements?"   
  
"No, I much prefer my beds to be horizontal," John replied.   
  
"On Minbar that is seen as bad luck," Entilzah said, "Only the dead sleep horizontally."   
  
"I think it'd be good luck, since you're far more likely to fall off the bed when it's tilted." Entilzah thought for a moment, then laughed.   
  
"Perhaps," he said. John then removed the chair from under the bed and sat at the table to eat the meal he'd been given. After he'd finished he decided to risk a question. After all, this Minbari seemed much nicer than any of the others he'd seen.   
  
"Yesterday, Hatir said something that I think was an insult. What was it?"   
  
"Ithirin Lemana," Entilzah replied, "It means honourless beast."   
  
"I've been called worse," John muttered.   
  
"What could be worse than being honourless?"   
  
"You've never met a Psi Cop. Though, when I think about it they are pretty much honourless, so maybe it amounts to the same thing."   
  
"These Psi Cops are on your world?"   
  
"Yes. Maybe you'll actually be doing the galaxy a favour when you wipe them out," John commented. He'd much rather keep the Psi Cops though than have his planet wiped out, but he didn't think he'd have much say in the matter.   
  
"They are of your race?"   
  
"They don't think so. They're telepaths, and think that they're superior to everyone else."   
  
"You don't like telepaths?"   
  
"I've never really known any. I've met a few who've been nice enough people, but not Psi Cops."   
  
"Minbari telepaths are treated with great respect," Entilzah said, "They use their skills for the good of all."   
  
"Clearly your telepaths aren't dishonest, self-important scum."   
  
"Scum? I do not know this word."   
  
"It's an insult. Scum's the dirt and rubbish that floats on the surface of water."   
  
"Perhaps Elcann would like to hear this word," Entilzah mused with a smile. It seemed there was no love lost between those two. From what he'd seen of Elcann, John could understand why.   
  
"Why don't you like Elcann?" John asked.   
  
"He considers me and my organisation an embarrassment to the Minbari people."   
  
"What organisation?"   
  
"The Alashak. Members of all three casts, who have chosen to give their lives to the fight against the ancient enemy, when they come again."   
  
"What enemy?"   
  
"Why should you listen when most of my people do not believe the danger?"   
  
"I'm just curious," John said, wondering whether Entilzah was deliberately trying to change the subject.   
  
"Curiosity is a fine trait," he said. Definitely deliberate, John decided. "Dukhat was curious. He felt we should seek out your people and make contact. The Grey Council opposed him and this war is the result."   
  
"Who are the Grey Council? And who's Dukhat?"   
  
"You are curious," Entilzah said with a laugh, "The Grey Council is our ruling body. There are three representatives of each cast, and a leader is chosen from among. Dukhat was our leader, killed by your people, so now there is no leader to the Grey Council. In ten cycles the Grey Council will choose another, and I have no doubt Delenn will be the one."   
  
"Who is he?"   
  
"She," Entilzah corrected, "is the chosen of Dukhat. She went through the ceremony to be part of the Grey Council on the same day that your people attacked. The same day your kind murdered Dukhat." John heard the angry edge to his tone, and the same angry rose in him.   
  
"It was your people who began that battle. You were attacking the Prometheus!"   
  
"We did no such thing."   
  
"So you deny that your ships approached on an attack vector with gun ports open?"   
  
"That is why they attacked?"   
  
"Yes, the Prometheus simply did it first!" The look of anger on Entilzah's face transformed into shock and then rather quickly into panic.   
  
"I must speak with the Grey Council!" he said, and had left the room before John had a chance to ask why. He could only sit there, feeling very confused.   
  
***  
  
"Are you certain he speaks the truth?" Delenn asked. Lenonn stood in the centre of the Grey Council, feeling intimidated as always by the faceless figures around him.   
  
"I am fairly sure of it," Lenonn replied.   
  
"He is human, and cannot be trusted," Coblann argued.   
  
"Perhaps," Delenn said, "but if he speaks the truth then this war was started because of a mistake. We should not commit genocide over a misunderstanding."   
  
"But how can we know if he speaks the truth?"   
  
"The triluminary," Delenn replied, "We can probe his mind." Lenonn had heard of the triluminaries, but had never seen them. They were the Minbari's most sacred relics, given to the Grey Council by Valen himself.   
  
"Bring him, Lenonn," one of the Council said, a nameless shape in a grey robe.   
  
"If he speaks the truth we will end this war," Delenn said.   
  
"And if he lies," Coblann added, "his kind will pay the price in blood."   
  
***  
  
Author's note: OK, I made up the Minbari insult, but since I don't think anyone in the show was ever called that it doesn't matter. I apologise for any mistakes in the spelling of Minbari words, since I can't spell in English I can't be expected to spell in an alien language. Or rather, I can spell, just not correctly.   
  
Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far. 


	6. The Grey Council

They held a memorial service for the crew of the Lexington, but Anna hadn't gone. To go would mean admitting that John was gone and was never coming back. She wasn't ready to do that. Instead she remained in the house, clinging to a fragile thread of hope that seemed to be slipping away from between her fingers.   
  
She wouldn't believe he was dead.   
  
She heard the door open downstairs and footsteps approached the bedroom. Anna was lying on the bed she and John always shared when they were together on Earth. It was wide and lonely without someone to share it with.   
  
"Anna?" There was Lizzie at the door, her black dress testimony to a funeral Anna couldn't accept.   
  
"Are you alright, Anna?" Anna just shook her head. She didn't think she'd be alright again unless John came home.   
  
Lizzie sat on the bed beside Anna, a gentle hand on the shoulder of her old friend. As she smiled sadly down on Anna, Anna looked away. She couldn't bear to see the pity and sorrow in her eyes. How could she have given up hope?   
  
"You should have come, Anna. You should have been at the service."   
  
"I won't mourn for him until someone shows me his body. He might be alive."   
  
"Minbari don't take prisoners," Lizzie said.   
  
"Then where is he? Why wasn't he on that ship?"   
  
"I don't know."   
  
It had been all over ISN. They'd pulled the records of the fight from the Lexington's computer. Proof that the Minbari could be destroyed, and the news of the Lexington's sacrifice. Anna had stayed shut in her room in the days after that, unable to cope with all the visitors come to offer their condolences.   
  
She ate when the others brought food up to her, but she didn't taste it. Eating was just something necessary, no longer something enjoyable. Most of the time she just lay there, thinking, remembering, hoping.   
  
With each passing second that hope seemed to drift further away and she began to wonder if the others were right. What if John were dead? What if she never saw him again?   
  
***  
  
John woke up suddenly, and realised why as soon as his eyes opened. Minbari were pulling him from his bed. Both wore the green badge. Entilzah was standing in the open doorway.   
  
"What's going on?" John asked.   
  
"You are to come with us." The two Minbari pulled John's arms behind him and before he could fight back had some sort of handcuffs on him. John struggled against them, but found they did their job all too well.   
  
"They are a precaution," Entilzah explained. It seemed the Minbari on either side of John were a precaution as well. As they walked out of the cell and along a few corridors, each kept a loose grip on John's arm that could be tightened if he gave any resistance.   
  
They came to a large room, probably some sort of launch bay, with a ship in the centre. The ship was small, probably only capable of carrying a couple of people. A hatch opened in the side of the ship. As John had guessed, there were two seats in the cockpit.   
  
The Minbari pushed him inside and into one of the seats. His hands pressed uncomfortably into his back, more so when they pulled some sort of safety harness on. Entilzah climbed in and sat in the other seat. John shifted slightly, partly to try and find a more comfortable position, partly to see whether he could get out. Unfortunately, the harness fastened from the front, and his hands were securely fastened behind him.   
  
As Entilzah began pressing switching, evidently preparing for takeoff, a huge door slid open in front of them, revealing a view of stars. Either they were on a ship or a space station.   
  
A few moments later, and John was back among the stars where he belonged. He twisted his head round to look through the window and saw a huge Minbari warship behind him. They must have some sort of artificial gravity. John hadn't even realised he wasn't on a planet. In front of them was another warship, apparently their destination.   
  
"What's going on?" John asked.   
  
"You will see the Grey Council. You must answer their questions honestly."   
  
"What sort of questions? I'm not going to betray my people or give away military information."   
  
"I am glad, to do so would be dishonourable." Entilzah refused to say anything more during their brief journey to the other ship. Once on board John was led along corridors that looked exactly the same as the previous ship. At one intersection of corridors, Minbari stood waiting, all wearing identical, white robes.   
  
"Entilzah Lenonn, you must remain here," one said. John guessed they'd used English to ensure he understood. He walked forwards, the white-robed Minbari around him until they reached a door. Someone undid the restraints and released his hands. As the door opened, the Minbari stood aside. John knew he had to go in alone.   
  
Inside there was only darkness. Looking in from the bright corridor he could see nothing. Anything could be in there. Feeling something in between nervousness and fear, he stepped through the door.   
  
It closed instantly behind him, leaving him alone in the darkness. John felt like a child, straying into some forbidden place. Childlike fear of the silent dark began to grow inside him. His eyes were adjusting to the darkness, but still he could see nothing. Perhaps there was nothing to see and he would remain in here forever.   
  
He had probably only been inside a few seconds when there was suddenly something to look at. A cone of light, a few metres ahead, emanating from some hidden point above him.   
  
Since this was the only visible point in the room, he walked towards it. As he stepped into the light he felt very vulnerable. If there were other people in the room he was a clear target while they were still invisible to him.   
  
He had barely enough time to begin worrying about this, when he wasn't the only visible thing in the room. Cones of light appeared all around him in a circle, each with a figure standing in it. He couldn't have said whether they were Minbari or not, all he could see where shapes in grey robes. One held a staff, but other than that he couldn't tell them apart.   
  
"Did Lenonn tell you why you have been brought here?" one asked. The speaker had a slightly higher voice than the other Minbari John had heard speak. A female? Another class? A coincidence?   
  
"He just said you'd ask me questions, he didn't say what they'd be about."   
  
"You will tell us what you believe transpired when your ships encountered us."   
  
"The Prometheus was trying to get some information on your ships when you knocked out their engines with some sort of scanner and then approached on an attack vector with gun ports open. The Prometheus fired, that's all there is to it."   
  
"You were on the. . . Prometheus?" it was the first Minbari who spoke. At least John thought so, it was difficult to tell for sure.   
  
"No," he said, "but the crew reported back to Earth before you destroyed the base."   
  
"The Prometheus attacked us because the crew felt we meant to attack them?"   
  
"Didn't you?" John asked.   
  
"No." For a moment John was too shocked to register what had just been said. If the Minbari hadn't meant to attack, then the Prometheus had fired without a good reason.   
  
"But your gun ports were open," John said, once he'd recovered from the shock.   
  
"Among the Minbari warrior cast, open gun ports are a sign of respect," one of the Minbari said, "We display what we are capable of to show that we hide nothing." John could think of nothing to say. If the Minbari hadn't meant to attack, then they probably felt the humans had started this war for no reason.   
  
One of the Minbari spoke in their own language, and soon there was a conversation among them. John tried to follow which of the figures was speaking, but in the end he stopped, as it would mean constantly spinning round to face a different part of the circle.   
  
When the conversation ceased, one of the figures walked into the shadows. He came back quickly, holding something triangular in his hands. Of course it would be a triangle. He stood in front of John, and John was very tempted to back away. He held his position though, knowing that he was surrounded and had nowhere to go. Besides the triangle thing didn't look like a weapon.   
  
The Minbari held it up in front of John's face.   
  
"Do you swear that what you have told us. . ." the Minbari broke off. The triangle glowed blue. There was a reaction John guessed to be surprise from the Minbari, but he couldn't tell because of their hidden faces. And what was surprise in a human expression might look like something completely different on a Minbari face.   
  
The Minbari retreated to a huddle and conversed in quick, excited tones. John was left standing in the central light. He considered trying to run, but he couldn't remember what direction the door lay, and even if he could get out there was nowhere to run. He wouldn't recognise the controls of a Minbari ship, and he'd still have to get there. He had no idea how many guards might be waiting outside for him.   
  
All he could do was wait, while the Minbari glanced frequently in his direction. He wished he could understand what they were saying about him. He had the feeling something significant had just happened.   
  
One of the Minbari walked into the darkness. Suddenly there was a rectangle of light, and John got a view out into the corridor. The Minbari said something quietly to one of those in white robes. Then Lenonn walked into the room. He joined the huddle of Minbari and spoke with them for a while. Their talk was too quick for John to follow, even if he'd been able to understand.   
  
Lenonn's face wasn't covered, so John could see clearly the shock on it as the Minbari talked. John was beginning to get afraid now. Whatever the triangle thing was, it was important, and it had done something they didn't expect. Who knew what that meant they would do in response?   
  
After some minutes of anxious waiting, Lenonn came and put a hand on John's arm, leading him gently out. So they weren't going to kill him then, or at least not immediately.   
  
Stepping into the brightly lit corridor, John blinked a few times to allow his eyes to adjust, and let himself be led. He thought they were going back to the transport, which was good. Perhaps he could make a break for it when he got there, get away from Lenonn and fly the ship out himself.   
  
Unfortunately that depended on him figuring out the controls and them not shooting him down. He had a feeling that whatever had just happened was important enough for them to be desperate about him not getting away. He couldn't be sure though.   
  
"What just happened?" John asked, "What did that triangle thing mean?"   
  
"It means the time of prophecy is at hand," Lenonn replied, and refused to explain any further.   
  
***  
  
Author's note: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, especially to Aubrey for your advice. 


	7. Lessons

Author's note: I apologise for the delay. Moving house, work and friends pestering me to write more of my novel meant I had very little time for this story.   
  
***  
  
John decided he'd try and persuade Lenonn to teach him to speak Minbari. After what had just happened, he really wanted to know what they were saying when they talked about him.   
  
He'd braced himself for a long argument, trying to come up with reasons why it was in the interests of Minbar to teach him. He'd run out with 'it would save you struggling with a language you don't have much experience with' and 'it's easier for me to learn to speak your language than for all of your people to learn mine'.   
  
He wasn't really expecting Lenonn to agree, at least not without some serious arguments on his side. Which is why he was so surprised when Lenonn said "yes" without hesitation when John asked. All John could do was sit gaping in surprise.   
  
"Really?" he asked, just checking he'd heard correctly.   
  
"Indeed. I will begin teaching you the basics immediately if you wish."   
  
A couple of hours later John decided it said a lot about a culture that they considered words like 'soul' and 'honour' to be among the basics. He'd have gone for, 'do you speak English?' 'could you repeat that?' and 'can you say that slower, please?' He learned those too, providing he could remember the nuances of the pronunciation.   
  
"Perhaps we should try something else," Lenonn suggested, as John failed to say 'I'm pleased to meet you' properly. Given Lenonn's expression, John was afraid it came out as something very different when he said.   
  
"Like what?" John asked, expecting to be given another phrase to learn. Instead Lenonn turned to the door.   
  
"Come with me," he said. John was puzzled. There were no armed guards, no restraints, no nothing. Just Lenonn leading him through the corridors of the ship. Maybe that was because he now knew it was a ship and that there was nowhere to go.   
  
"Where are we going?" John asked. When Lenonn didn't reply he tried asking the same question in Minbari. The only answer he got was Lenonn correcting his pronunciation. Again.   
  
He found out soon enough when Lenonn led him into the room he'd taken him to when wanting to see how he fought.   
  
"Why have you brought me here?" he asked.   
  
"Given how you fought last time I brought you here, I think you need some training."   
  
"You're going to teach me how to fight using your methods?" John once again wondered what that triangle thing had meant, and whether it had something to do with Lenonn's behaviour towards him. Not that Lenonn hadn't always been nicer to him than any other Minbari.   
  
"Is that not what I said? My grasp of your language is not perfect."   
  
"It's better than my grasp of yours." Lenonn went to a box against one wall and pulled out a small tube, as long as John's hand was wide. There was a button on the side, which he pressed and the tube instantly extended into one of the rod-weapons. Lenonn took one of his own from beneath his robes.   
  
John held his weapon uncertainly, expecting Lenonn to attack him. Instead Lenonn just looked. After a few seconds he lowered his weapon and came towards John. John wanted to back away, but held his ground as Lenonn grasped his hands and altered his grips.   
  
"I shall show you basic moves," Lenonn said, "we shall not use them to fight for now." He then did just as he said he would, showing John a sequence of moves with the rod.   
  
John attempted to copy, but after about ten minutes of failure he still hadn't got it right and was sweating considerably.   
  
"Watch carefully!" Lenonn demanded, and ran through the sequence again. John did watch, and couldn't see what it was he was doing wrong. Yet still he couldn't please Lenonn.   
  
He began to wonder if this was just a distraction, some way of wearing him out so he was too tired to escape. Then finally Lenonn declared he'd managed it.   
  
"I have?" John thought back over the sequence he'd just gone through, unable to spot anything he'd done differently from the previous few times.   
  
"Again," Lenonn said. John did as he was told, bringing the rod round in sweeping motions, that would probably knock down anyone who got in their way. Each time he ran through the sequence Lenonn insisted on making him do it faster. He was soon drenched in sweat, but Lenonn wasn't even damp. Life just wasn't fair.  
  
They must have been working for half an hour when another Minbari came in. Lenonn turned to face this newcomer instantly, and John stopped his sequence when he noticed the change in his teacher.   
  
The new arrival said something to Lenonn in Minbari, too quickly for John to even know if he could recognise the words. From the voice, he guessed this new Minbari was female. There was something familiar about the voice as well.   
  
"May I present Sati Delenn," Lenonn said in slow Minbari. John remembered Lenonn mentioning a member of the Grey Council called Delenn. If so, he was in the presence of a very important Minbari. He was half tempted to use the weapon in his hands, but doubted he'd be able to do much if he tried.   
  
"I'm pleased to meet you," John said, hesitantly, straining to remember the pronunciation Lenonn had been teaching him not long before, "I am John Sheridon."   
  
An amused smile crept onto Sati Delenn's face. "He needs to work on pronunciation," she said to Lenonn in English. John wondered what it was he was actually saying.   
  
Delenn then switched to Minbari and spoke rapidly. John caught the word 'human' several times, 'time' along with something he thought was a negative, and the word 'soul' repeated often. Unfortunately, the long gaps where he couldn't understand a word meant he still had no idea what was going on.   
  
Still, it was better than knowing nothing. The two of them had a long conversation that after a few minutes John gave up any attempt of understanding. He'd need a few more lessons in Minbari, a hundred or so, before he could come close.   
  
Soon Delenn left and Lenonn turned to John. "I must take you back to your cell," he said.   
  
"I want to see the rest of my crew," John replied. Lenonn thought for a moment, then nodded.   
  
"They are also on this ship," he said.   
  
"All of them?"   
  
"Those who were on the command deck," Lenonn said. Something about his tone told John that he was reluctant to continue. When he did, John understood why. "The others were killed."   
  
"All of them?" John had managed to keep himself from thinking of this possibility. He'd allowed himself to be deceived by the hope that if he was alive there was a good chance the rest of the crew were.   
  
Now Lenonn shattered that hope, and grief and anger filled him. They'd murdered over a hundred of his people! Good people! They hadn't deserved to die like that.   
  
Why? The unfairness cut into him. Why keep some of his crew alive but kill the others? A part of him wanted to hit Lenonn, take out some of the anger he felt on this member of the species who was responsible.   
  
He managed to drag those feelings into control by reminding himself that Lenonn had acted with kindness towards him. He probably had nothing to do with the killing of the Lexington crew.   
  
"I apologise," Lenonn said, and John couldn't control the anger at the nerve of it.   
  
"You apologise?! A hundred of my people are dead for no decent reason and you think you can just apologise and make everything all right?! I don't know about your species, but among humans life is sacred! A hundred deaths can't be brushed aside with an apology!"   
  
"I did not mean to suggest they can," Lenonn said, "with Minbari's as well, life is sacred."   
  
"Then tell that to your soldiers who kill when there's another choice, when they're not just protecting their own people."   
  
"I am not of the warrior cast, I cannot give orders to any who are not Aleshak." John couldn't be sure, seeing as he was dealing with an alien here, but he thought Lenonn was genuinely sorry about the deaths of his crew.   
  
At last they came to a stop outside a door. Lenonn informed John that he would send someone to return him to his cell shortly. The door opened, and John stepped inside.   
  
The room was a little over twice the size of his cell, yet contained seven of the awkward beds and a low table. His crew were around the room, some sitting talking, others lying on the bed.   
  
They all looked up when he walked in, worry rapidly changing to relief.   
  
"Commander," Richard exclaimed in surprise, "you're all right?" John nodded. "We thought they'd killed you in that torture session."   
  
"No, they. . . I'm not really sure what's been going on to tell you the truth." He explained what had happened to him, and the way Lenonn acted towards him, and could tell that they were as confused as he was. Baker seemed to be under the impression he shouldn't have gone along with Lenonn though about the fighting lessons.   
  
"If an enemy handed you a weapon," he asked her, "and explained how to use it, wouldn't you take advantage of that?" She had the decency to look somewhat embarrassed at that, obviously not having considered it that way.   
  
Richards then explained about their situation. They had all been moved into the cell together shortly after the torture session. They had believe John dead, since they had seen him carried out and he wasn't brought back to join them. Since that session they had been left alone.   
  
By the time everyone had finished their explanations, the door opened again. Two Minbari stood there. Each wore the green badge that John was coming to realise meant they were Aleshak, and therefore working for Lenonn.   
  
"You must come," one said. John walked towards them. When he was close to the door, they closed the remaining distance and grabbed hold of him. Their grip wasn't overly painful, but it was secure enough to prevent any thought of escape.   
  
Richards, shouting a protest, but John looked over his shoulder and shook his head. His crew watched, worriedly, as he was led out. But they let it happen. It wasn't as though any of them had a choice. All they could do was stay alive until they could find some way to escape.   
  
***  
  
Author's note: Pathetic cliffhanger. But the options were either posting this as it is, or waiting to find time to rewrite, and I figured you'd prefer it this way. 


	8. The Price of Peace

Author's note: Sorry I took so long. I blame coursework.   
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
For five days John was given lessons in Minbari language and fighting by Lenonn. He was also brought more food, which he welcomed gladly. The fighting sessions were exhausting, so much so that it didn't take him too long to fall asleep on the awkward bed, though he still slid off and woke himself up a couple of times.   
  
  
  
The Minbari, Danir, who brought his food each day was the same. He'd been shocked when John had thanked him in his own language. After that they would converse while John ate, though John suspected he was only so polite to him because of Lenonn since Danir was one of the Anla'Shok.   
  
  
  
John tried to learn more about this organisation, but every question or comment was skilfully diverted by both of the Minbari he had contact with.   
  
  
  
Finally, after one extra tiring training session, Lenonn told John he would not see him for a while.   
  
  
  
"Sati Delenn is sending me on an important mission so I will have another of the Anla'Shok see to your lessons."   
  
  
  
"Why do you bother? I don't understand why you're teaching me these things."   
  
  
  
"Do you wish us to stop?" Lenonn asked.   
  
  
  
"No, but I wish for understanding."   
  
  
  
"Understanding is a fine thing at times, but at others it is sometimes better to remain without it." That sounded like a quote, and reminded John of the saying, 'ignorance is bliss.' He told Lenonn so.   
  
  
  
"It would seem we have far more in common than the warrior cast would like to admit," Lenonn laughed.   
  
  
  
"What is the mission you're going on?" John asked.   
  
  
  
"One I will gladly discuss with you if I am successful, and one for which you are largely responsible." Lenonn was smiling so John guessed this was supposed to be a good thing, but he would have felt considerably better if he could have had a less cryptic response.   
  
  
  
"Do Minbari get given lessons in being cryptic?"  
  
  
  
"Cryptic? I do not know this word."   
  
  
  
"It means vague." Lenonn still looked puzzled. "Never mind."   
  
  
  
Danir came with John's breakfast as usual the next day. He also held something under one arm. It looked like cloth. As John began eating his breakfast, instinctively picking up the fork/spoon/thing in his right hand, Danir laid out the cloth on the bed. It was a set of clothes, very much like the Anla'Shok members wore, but missing the green stone.   
  
  
  
"Lenonn suggested you might want new clothes," Danir said slowly in Minbari.   
  
  
  
"He was right," John replied awkwardly, "Can I have some water to… clean." He had a feeling he'd used the noun rather than verb for 'clean', but after a puzzled moment, Danir left again. He returned shortly with a bowl of water and a cloth. There was also a bottle of something he guessed was their equivalent of soap.   
  
  
  
"Can I have some privacy?" He asked, falling back into English.   
  
  
  
"Privacy?" Danir might be able to speak English a lot better than John could understand Minbari, but there were still some problems.   
  
  
  
"Would you mind leaving while I change?" John was careful to remain polite since, with Lenonn gone, there was a chance they wouldn't be quite so kind to him now.   
  
  
  
He changed quickly into the dark shirt and pants he'd been given, but pulled his Earth Force jacket on over the top. He wasn't going to give up his uniform completely, even with his jacket in the state it was. Sweat and dirt clung to it, along with a dark patch of blood he had a feeling was Sterns'. He was a prisoner, but this was one part of Earth he could cling to. He then finished his meal quickly, and was ready when Danir returned.   
  
  
  
"That is as dirty as the rest," Danir said looking at the jacket.   
  
  
  
"I'm keeping this," he said, then looked down at the badge Danir wore, and came to a conclusion, "it's like that badge." Danir looked down, touching the green stone gently, then he nodded his understanding.   
  
  
  
"Come," Danir said, "Lenonn asked I continue your lessons in fighting."   
  
  
  
A short while later, John couldn't decide if Danir was more demanding than Lenonn, or if it was just that Danir wasn't as good at English and so struggled to explain what exactly John was doing wrong. Either way, John was finding this session more difficult than his training with Lenonn.   
  
  
  
When Danir finally said the lesson was over, John wasn't sure he'd actually learned anything. Still, waving the rod around in the fluid motions was strangely calming. He'd have called it relaxing if it wasn't so exhausting.   
  
  
  
When they returned to his cell, Danir took the food away, and then returned with another plateful, which John dug into gratefully.   
  
  
  
"Why do you eat so fast?" Danir asked.   
  
  
  
"I'm hungry," John replied, and proved it by shoving another large fork/spoon/thingful into his mouth.   
  
  
  
"You should meditate on the food."   
  
  
  
"I find it easier to meditate with a full stomach."   
  
  
  
"With Minbari we pause between each mouthful to consider the food and the person who prepared it, and to remember those who have suffered and died through lack of food."   
  
  
  
"With humans we tend to show our thankfulness for having food by eating it. It's a sign of gratitude to the person who made it if you eat quickly, because if you eat slowly it could be interpreted as meaning you don't like it and are hoping to avoid finishing eating." Danir frowned over some of the words, but John was sure his meaning was conveyed.   
  
  
  
"That is interesting," he said, "I had not considered it that way before."   
  
  
  
"On Earth we often have two or three course meals, sometimes followed by a tea or coffee. If you paused between each mouthful you'd never get finished. You do pause between courses though, and that gives you time to consider the food."   
  
  
  
"What is tea and coffee?" Danir asked.   
  
  
  
"They're types of drink that traditionally follow meals, though you can drink them at other times as well."  
  
  
  
"We drink only water and fruit juice," Danir said.   
  
  
  
"No alcohol?"   
  
  
  
"What's alcohol?"   
  
  
  
"Never mind." John might not be a great drinker, but he liked to unwind now and then with some wine or beer. He decided if he ever got back to Earth, he'd send some wine for Danir and Lenonn to sample, as a thank you for not beating him to a pulp whenever they saw him.   
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Lenonn stepped out of his ship onto the surface of the world the humans had chosen for this meeting. He had a gun with him, since he couldn't be certain all humans were as honourable as Jonsheridon. The world was cold, but this was nothing new to Lenonn. Minbar had large polar regions, so he could cope.   
  
  
  
He approached the small, ugly building where the meeting was supposed to take place. Minbari buildings were designed with a certain aesthetic, so that they looked nice as well as serving their function. Either humans didn't have this philosophy, or they had radically different ideas as to what looked attractive.   
  
  
  
He caught sight of something moving against the snow and ice, moments before the something became aware of him. A human, identifiable only by from due to the thick clothes it wore as a protection from cold. Lenonn aimed his gun, and the human raised arms. A gesture of surrender, he suspected.   
  
  
  
He noted that this human had far darker skin than any of the prisoners and he wondered what this difference meant. Was this human female? Or of another class? Or was it some sort of birth mark? Jonsheridon had not mentioned that some of his kind were dark. Did that mean it was some sort of taboo? Or was it simply something that hadn't occurred to him to mention as it was taken for granted on his world? He would have to ask when he returned.   
  
  
  
Lenonn gestured with his weapon, signalling that he wanted the human to return to the building. The human did so, and Lenonn followed closely.   
  
  
  
"Ah, good, doctor," Lenonn heard a voice say, in human, "I was just telling…" Then the speaker caught sight of Lenonn. Lenonn saw now that the speaker was a Narn. G'kar, if the information his Anla'shok had given him was as accurate as it usually was. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to tell him anything of the humans he would meet.   
  
  
  
There was another human there, this time with skin the same shade as Jonsheridon and the others. All three were staring at the weapon in his hand.   
  
  
  
"Precaution only," he explained, and put it away. The humans and Narn didn't have any visible weapons, so he would trust that they were here to discuss peace, as he intended.   
  
  
  
"I am Lenonn," he introduced himself, grateful that his conversations with Jonsheridon had improved his use of the human language.   
  
  
  
"I am Squadron Leader Jeffery Sinclair," the paler human said, "this is Doctor Stephen Franklin and G'Kar."   
  
  
  
"This war began as retribution," Lenonn said, "for the death of our leader Dukhat in an attack we thought was unprovoked. It has gone beyond that now, and I know Dukhat would never have approved of what many of the warrior cast plan to do to your kind. The Grey Council have sent me to see if we can end this war without wiping out your species." He didn't include the rest, as Delenn had specifically told him not to. He wouldn't tell them that the human Jonsheridon had a Minbari soul. He wasn't even certain if they would believe him.   
  
  
  
"You want us to surrender to you?" Jefrysinclair asked. Lenonn struggled for a moment, trying to find the translation.   
  
  
  
"I believe that would be the correct word," Lenonn replied, "The warrior cast will most likely demand you give up something to atone for the death of Dukhat, though nothing you could give us will return his life." Again he didn't say everything. He considered, if the war ended as he hoped, allowing humans to join the Anla'shok. If more than just Jonsheridon had Minbari souls, then Valen's prophecy that spoke of the two halves of their souls uniting must mean them joining together for the Shadow War. And since the Anla'shok were the ones who would stand against the darkness, this seemed the sensible way.   
  
  
  
"I'm not authorised to give you our surrender," Jefrysinclair said, "If your race are serious about gaining peace, then others will be able to make that decision." Lenonn didn't feel the humans had much choice in this matter if they wished their race to survive. He was about to say so when there was a sound from the Narn's communicator. A few words came through in Narn, but were cut off.  
  
  
  
Then came the sound of a ship above them.   
  
  
  
"Get down!" Jefrysinclair shouted. Too late. Explosions burst out around them, and something struck Lenonn. He fell, pinned by a piece of the building. Pain filled his senses momentarily, but he fought to gain awareness around it, as his training taught him. The agony was greater than anything he could imagine. He felt it crushing him, enveloping him, drowning him.   
  
  
  
He was dying.   
  
  
  
He felt the humans beside him, talking, talking about saving him but Lenonn was barely aware of that. He knew what he must do and he needed to do it quickly. He little time left. Nothing the humans could do would save him.   
  
  
  
"They will come soon," he said, weakly, "and they will blame you. . . for me. . . and the war will get worse." He beckoned Jefrysinclair closer, "Repeat, exactly as I tell you. 'The two halves of our soul must unite against the coming darkness.'" Lenonn felt his own darkness closing in around him and knew his time had come. But he was Anla'shok, and he was not afraid to die.   
  
  
  
'I lived for the one,' he thought, 'I die for  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Author's note: A much better cliffhanger than the last chapter. I'll try and write the next one quickly, but I won't promise anything. I've finished my chemistry coursework now, but I've still got English. 'The language of rejection'. If anyone has any rejection letters they wouldn't mind me using, I'd be very grateful if you could scan them in and email them to me. They can be on any subject. If you send me them, I'll need to spend less time searching for letters and will be able to spend more time writing stories. 


	9. Sheridan and Sinclair

Author's note: I apologise for how long it's taken me to update. I'm blaming a mixture of exams, general school work, way too many ideas for other stories and laziness.   
  
I'll try not to leave it so long next time, but since I'm going on holiday for the next week it won't be for a while.  
  
***  
  
"What is this mission Lenonn's gone on?" John asked Danir. The two were in John's cell as he ate his dinner.   
  
"I do not know," Danir replied. He was using Minbari, despite the fact John had asked his question in English. "I only know that Satai Delenn sent him on it."   
  
"You respect Sati Delenn a lot?"   
  
"Lenonn respects her, and I trust Lenonn. She believes as we do in the prophecy of Valen."   
  
"Who?"   
  
"Valen was our greatest leader. Long ago there was a great war and Valen led our people to victory against our enemy. He then prophesied that the enemy would return and the two halves of our souls must unite against the darkness. He left the Anla'Shok to prepare for the return. The time has now come and our people are wasting time fighting yours."   
  
"Then why don't you stop the war?" From John's point of view it seemed the perfect solution. The Minbari got to prepare for whatever war it was they thought was coming, and his race didn't get completely annihilated.   
  
"Very few of the warrior cast believe in the prophecies of Valen, and those that do are Anla'Shok. Only three of the Grey Council are religious cast, so only those three will support us." By this time John had finished his meal, and the two went to the training room.   
  
This was John's third session training with Danir. He thought he was getting better. Either that or Danir had given up hope of him mastering the basics. Whichever it was, he was making fewer criticisms as they ran through the sequences he and Lenonn had taught John. John was starting to imagine how they might work in combat, when Danir announced that he was ready to fight a real opponent.   
  
He was fairly glad that the opponent in question was Danir, since any other Minbari was far less likely to be nice. It was obvious from the first few moves that Danir was attacking far more slowly than he could, but even so John's sides were becoming rapidly decorated with bruises. He was lucky if he could land a single blow in return and his arms were aching slightly from the shock of the blocked blows and the constant strain of movement.   
  
The sweeping movements from the sequences clearly allowed the pike to gain momentum and make the attacking blows stronger, but they also gave Danir a chance to see what was coming block. The sharper jabs and thrusts seemed to be more effective, so John concentrated on those. They also meant he left himself less open for an attack.   
  
He grunted in pain as a blow straight at his chest knocked him backwards. The air rushed out of his lungs as he landed on his back. The thin padding on the floor did little to ease his fall and he hadn't even gathered his shaken wits enough to think about getting up, when Danir's pike pressed into his neck.   
  
"A good fight, for a beginner," Danir commented.   
  
John thought his bruises disagreed. He accepted Danir's hand in helping him to his feet. His fall hadn't done any serious damage, he'd just be sore for a day or two.   
  
"Rest a moment then we'll begin again," Danir said, "you must work on your speed, but the movements are there."   
  
"Didn't seem to do me much good," John commented.   
  
"You are only learning," Danir replied, "I have had much more practise than you."   
  
"I can see that."   
  
"Let us begin again," Danir said after a few moments' respite. John raised his fighting pike again, ready to defend, hopefully, against Danir's attacks.   
  
He never had a chance to do so.   
  
Before the first blow was struck, something that was undoubtedly an alarm sounded. A wailing noise that cut into the head came from somewhere. It dimmed again almost immediately, and a voice announced something in rapid Minbari that John couldn't follow. The alarm continued in the background, but even when the voice ended it remained quietly than it had begun.   
  
"Remain here," Danir instructed, and ran from the room. John hesitated a moment, looking at the pike in his hand. He'd just been left unguarded, with a weapon in the middle of an enemy ship.   
  
The way he saw it there were several possibilities. The most obvious one was that his captors were stupid. The door out into the rest of the ship was open, meaning that John was now able to go where he liked. Another possibility was that whatever emergency was going on was more important than one human prisoner, and that didn't bode well for John. The third possibility was that this was some sort of test or trap and the Minbari were watching to see what he would do.   
  
He decided to risk possibility three and hope for possibility one. Besides, if it was the second option, he needed to get off the ship as quickly as possible. He ran from the room, pressing the button that shrunk the pike to the small, hand-width tube.   
  
He ran in the direction his crew were held, the alarm continuing to blare out its warning of something. He really wished he'd been able to understand the announcement.   
  
He hadn't gone more than a couple of corridors when he heard the sounds of a struggle. He slowed his pace and peered cautiously round a corner. Two Minbari were holding someone, and the someone didn't seem too pleased about this situation. It took John less than a second to realised the someone was human. He charged forwards, extending the pike as he did so.   
  
Thankfully he caught the Minbari off-guard, and managed to knock one out before he even realised what was happening. The human took out the second Minbari with defence moves John himself had learned in Earth Force Academy. The human was definitely a soldier, even though he wasn't in uniform.   
  
"Thanks," he said, stepping away from the two unconscious Minbari.   
  
"Lieutenant Commander John Sheridan," John introduced himself, holding out a hand.   
  
"Squadron Leader Jeffery Sinclair." The handshake was a brief one, since both of them had better things to do than worry about formalities.   
  
"This way," John said, heading off down one corridor.   
  
"What's this way?" Sinclair asked.   
  
"The cell where my crew are being held."   
  
After a few moment Sinclair spoke again. "How long have you been here?"   
  
"Too long," John responded, "ever since the Lexington was taken."   
  
"The Lexington?" Sinclair sounded surprised, "That was on the news. You destroyed a Minbari warship. The reporter said that everyone on board was killed."   
  
"Well, he was wrong. I was taken prisoner along with the rest of the bridge crew. The Minbari wanted to know who was responsible for destroying the Black Star." They headed down a new corridor in the direction John thought was the right one.   
  
"What about you?" he asked, "Why are you here?"   
  
"We were supposed to be meeting a representative of the Minbari for peace talks," Sinclair replied, "but someone attacked us. The representative was killed, and the rest of the Minbari weren't too thrilled about it, to say the least."   
  
Peace talks. John's mind quickly recalled Lenonn's important mission and the fact that he seemed pleased about it.   
  
"Was the representative called Lenonn?"   
  
"Yes, he was. Why? Did you know him?"   
  
"The first Minbari to show me anything other than unconditional hatred." John was surprised by the way he felt about the news. It filled him with sadness in a way he would never have expected. Somehow, over the course of his imprisonment, he'd come to think of Lenonn as a friend. Learning that the friendship was over, that he would never see Lenonn again hurt him greatly. He tried to tell himself that it shouldn't matter, that Lenonn was just another member of the race out to destroy humanity, but it didn't work. He knew that Lenonn did not approve of the war.   
  
"Do you know who attacked you?" John asked, more to cover up his feelings than out of true curiosity.   
  
"No," Sinclair replied, "It's possible it was someone from Earth who didn't like the idea of us surrendering to the Minbari."   
  
They were approaching a meeting of two corridors and could hear sounds from around the corner. John waved for Sinclair to stay back as he looked round. There was a rather large, rather armed group of Minbari heading towards them.   
  
He turned and started running the opposite direction, Sinclair right behind him. He frantically sought through his memory for any knowledge of another route to his crew.   
  
He turned down another corridor, hoping that the Minbari wouldn't get into the previous one until they were out of sight. He wasn't sure how he hoped for them to avoid the guards, find his crew and get them all off this ship without getting recaptured or killed in the process. He just knew he had to try. After today he probably wouldn't ever be left unguarded again so this was his only chance of getting home, especially with Lenonn dead.   
  
Unfortunately, his chances of escaping this time were cut somewhat short by the group of armed guards approaching from the direction they were running in.   
  
He turned, searching desperately for an escape, but the group they were trying to get away from before were there.   
  
Both groups had guns aimed at them.   
  
John raised the fighting pike. They didn't stand a chance, but they were Earth Force and they would go down fighting. 


	10. Tried and Failed

Author's I apologise that this update is appallingly late. I'd blame A-levels and schoolwork, but I think hyperactive muses and a serious lack of commitment to stories I've started played their part in the delay.   
  
I'll try and not make you wait so long for the next update.   
  
***  
  
"Stop!" Someone called in Minbari, then switched to English, "There has been enough death this day." John and Sinclair looked to the figure who had spoken, dressed in the robes of the Grey Council. John though it was Delenn, but with the hood pulled down so low he couldn't be sure.   
  
The speaker then gave an order, which John thought was for them to be locked up. It certainly fit with the way the other Minbari approached them and began indicating that they were expected to move. John found the fighting pike taken from his hands and a gun shoved him roughly forward.   
  
"You could ask," John said in Minbari, desperately hoping the pronunciation was right. He got a few surprised looks from the Minbari, and one astounded look from Sinclair.   
  
They ended up in a different room from John's cell, or the cell that held his crew. The lack of beds made him think that they wouldn't be here long. There were a couple of chairs and a table, but no other furniture. There was, however, another occupant already in there.   
  
"Dr Franklin," Sinclair said, "have you been hurt?"   
  
"No. They took me to a dark room with some robed figures in, then held a triangle of some sort of crystal in front of my face."   
  
"Did it glow?" John asked, remembering his encountered with the Grey Council.   
  
"Maybe a little," Franklin answered, "but it might just have been my imagination."   
  
"Well," Sinclair said, "it definitely glowed when they held it in front of me. Do you know what it is?"   
  
"No," John answered. He described his meeting with the Grey Council and the use of the triangle-thing. "It clearly means something to them."   
  
Sinclair suddenly realised that good manners had been abandoned, and introduced John to Stephen Franklin. The two of them quickly explained about their mission to meet Lenonn, and John described all that had happened to him since his arrival.   
  
"I'm sorry about Lenonn," Sinclair said, obviously sensing the friendship John had only just realised existed.   
  
"Me too," John responded.   
  
Their conversation ended when the cell door opened, and a group of Anla'Shok waited outside, well armed with both pikes and guns. Danir was with them. The look he gave John might have shown annoyance or maybe concern, but John wasn't familiar enough with their culture to make too certain of a judgement about that. John wondered if he ought to apologise for trying to escape. Danir might be about to get in trouble for leaving John unguarded, and John couldn't help but feel responsible.   
  
"You are to come with us," Danir said, using Minbari, and John quickly translated to Sinclair and Franklin. They followed without struggle, since there really was little point. The Minbari weren't going to make the same mistake again. Probably.   
  
The humans were led to what was almost certainly an airlock, and through to a corridor very similar to the one they had left. Another ship? The Anla'Shok were positioned around the group so there was no chance for another escape attempt. John wondered if they were being taken to an execution or if they were being transported somewhere for torture and interrogation. Lenonn was the only one who would have stood up for the humans, and now he was gone. Danir was unlikely to argue John's case, given that John had just tried to escape on his watch.   
  
John's mind hadn't come up with the possibility that actually occurred. They arrived shortly in a room very similar to where the Grey Council had met, though this room wasn't so utterly black, and there weren't the same cones of light. Only one member of the Council was there now: Satai Delenn. The Anla'Shok left quickly, all apart from Danir. Clearly this was planned, or else John had missed some hidden signal.   
  
Delenn waited in silence for a few moments, looking at each of them in turn. What was running through her mind, John couldn't even imagine. Then she spoke, using English so they could all understand. But understanding the words did little to aid their understanding of what she was actually saying.   
  
"On this day we learn if the time of prophecy has come to pass," she said, much to the confusion of all except Danir, "we journey to a place of legends to see if the ancient enemy has returned." Who this ancient enemy might be was left undefined, but John remembered Danir mentioning them briefly in passing. A war fought a thousand years ago and a prophecy.   
  
Suddenly the darkness of the room lit up. Falling like a shimmering curtain, an image of the distorted dimensions of hyperspace formed around them. John stared at it in amazement, turning around to see a complete view in all directions. They could almost have been outside the ship, out in the void of hyperspace. The image was so clear, surrounding them on all sides, looking so real, so utterly unlike a projection. The Minbari had greater technology than Earth could even dream of.   
  
"Woah!" Sinclair murmured, his thoughts clearly following John's into a place of amazement. For a fleeting moment a thought danced across John's mind, saying that they had been stupid to even think about taking on this race, thousands of years ahead of his own.   
  
John couldn't see any sign in the image of the warship they had come from. Perhaps, he considered, wherever they were going was dangerous enough for them not to want to risk more. But, if that were the case, why would a member of the Grey Council be taking the risk?   
  
"It was Lenonn's plan that a ship journey to the homeworld of the ancient enemy," Delenn went on, "and Dukhat's wish that it should be so. Both have fallen, but perhaps their dream will now come to fruition." She turned away from the three humans, looking at a point in hyperspace. John looked too, not really sure what he was looking for.   
  
Then the jump point formed.   
  
The ship passed from hyperspace and a planet appeared before them. It seemed barren and waterless, filling the image in front of them. For a moment John felt dizzy, as though he were hanging in the sky above this world. Then that fear was replaced by another one.   
  
Something cold gripped at his stomach as he stared at the planet. Barren though it seemed, he could feel the life there. The evil. It was a sense in his mind and his heart, clawing at him with all the instincts of nature to run. He should flee this place, before they found him. Before they saw him.   
  
But the ship went on, and the fear increased. Something icy was crawling up his spine, sending shivers of pure terror through his entire body. And the worst thing about it was the fact he didn't even know what he was afraid of. He couldn't tear his eyes off the planet to see if the others were feeling the same, but a quiet voice, muttering something that sounded like a quote, told him clearly that he wasn't alone in his fear.   
  
"'Into the jaws of death, into the mouth of hell, road the six hundred.'"   
  
John might have asked Sinclair what that meant, but the sensation came. The sense of dread which had filled him since the ship emerged from hyperspace increased a hundred fold. The evil on the planet had just been dormant before. Now it felt as though eyes were staring at John, straight into his mind.   
  
It knew they were there.   
  
He heard a voice calling out to him, though afterwards he could never be sure if he actually heard it. It sounded like his father, calling him home, telling him to come to the planet. Inviting him down.   
  
He wanted to hide, hide from the eyes he could feel in his mind. It was looking at him, and knew everything about him. John was terrified, and wanted nothing more than to flee. But he couldn't. That voice, comforting and compelling, was calling him onwards. He would go down to the planet. He would go down because it was asking him to.   
  
The part of him that knew what was going on grew more terrified, as it realised that it had no control now. The thing down there was drawing him to itself, as the flame drew the moth.   
  
***  
  
Author's Note: The quote Sinclair uses is taken from Tennison's Charge of the Light Brigade. We all know Sinclair likes Tennison, and it seemed fitting. 


End file.
